The two best medications for diabetes related diseases are exercise and a healthy diet, with emphasis on foods with a low Glycemic Index and a low Glycemic Load.
 
Diabetes is a nasty disease, which can cause blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and nerve damage. When your blood sugar is not under control, and your insulin is not being processed effectively, all hell breaks loose in your body, which can result in breathing problems, heart palpitations, heart racing, heart thumping, high blood pressure, vision problems, fatigue, oversweating, emotional swings, foot and hand pain, etc.
 
I have Heart Failure. I also suffer from Chronically High Blood Pressure, Environmental Illness, Immune Dysfunction, Asthma, and Persistent Atrial Fibrillation, which means that my heart NEVER wants to beat correctly. Each disease by itself has higher rates of morbidity and mortality, but the rate of death goes much higher when you have both Heart Failure AND persistent Atrial Fibrillation. So...... I've got one foot in the grave already, so to speak. I am also close to age 70.
 
I have really suffered with my diseases. I blamed most of my symptoms and problems on the Heart Failure and the Atrial Fibrillation and was in total denial about Diabetes and Insulin Resistance. I was on up to nine medications for many years. Now I only take .25mg Digoxin, 12.5mg Coreg and Quinapril 10mg for my CHF, Atrial Fibrillation and blood pressure, and 2.5mg Warfarin to protect against stroke.
 
That said, in December of 2004, I finally woke up and went on a diet targeting Insulin Resistance.
 
That said, I have been able to greatly improve my Heart Failure, Atrial Fibrillation and Insulin Resistance/Diabetes problems mainly through diet, exercise and avoiding bad health triggers. My Cholesterol, Triglyceride and Blood Sugar levels are also at very healthy levels, without the use of medication.
 
The following are my blood pressure averages for 1998 through 2008. The annual improvements to my blood pressure and my overall health can be plainly seen, starting in 2004, when I first started a better diet and exercise.

• 1998 ... 152/97, number of readings= 1016
• 1999 ... 146/92, number of readings= 3599
• 2000 ... 145/92, number of readings= 3322
• 2001 ... 146/92, number of readings= 2375
• 2002 ... 150/96, number of readings= 1423
• 2003 ... 151/96, number of readings= 1032
• 2004 ... 146/90, number of readings= 2065
• 2005 ... 139/86, number of readings= 2526
• 2006 ... 136/79, number of readings= 3269
• 2007 ... 126/74, number of readings= 2720
• 2008 ... 122/72, number of readings= 2347

Whereas previously I had significant breathing problems, fatigue, chest pain, heart palpitations, Migraine Auras etc., currently per day I am doing 300 lifts with two ten pound weights, 500 steps with my stepper, for each leg, and 100 pushups.
 
I religiously followed a low calorie diet of about 1500 calories, for the first three years, and saw my health continue to improve. I now am able to consume a balanced diet of about 2500 calories per day, eating Carbs with a low Glycemic Index and a low Glycemic Load.
 
My 1 hour Post Prandial yesterday at 1:30pm was 120, and my fasting blood pressure this morning at 6am was 89.
 
If good diet and appropriate exercise can help an oldster like me, who had almost two feet in the grave, then imagine what a good diet and appropriate exercise can do for someone else, much younger than me, with less serious health problems.
 
Merry Christmas to all, and a wish for better health for all of us for 2009!